Family Health International/Zambia Prevention Care and Treatment Partnership, Lusaka, Zambia.
Hum Resour Health. 2009 May 30;7:44. doi: 10.1186/1478-4491-7-44.
The human resource shortage in Zambia is placing a heavy burden on the few health care workers available at health facilities. The Zambia Prevention, Care and Treatment Partnership began training and placing community volunteers as lay counsellors in order to complement the efforts of the health care workers in providing HIV counselling and testing services. These volunteers are trained using the standard national counselling and testing curriculum. This study was conducted to review the effectiveness of lay counsellors in addressing staff shortages and the provision of HIV counselling and testing services.
Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by means of semistructured interviews from all active lay counsellors in each of the facilities and a facility manager or counselling supervisor overseeing counseling and testing services and clients. At each of the 10 selected facilities, all counselling and testing record books for the month of May 2007 were examined and any recordkeeping errors were tallied by cadre. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions with health care workers at each facility.
Lay counsellors provide counselling and testing services of quality and relieve the workload of overstretched health care workers. Facility managers recognize and appreciate the services provided by lay counsellors. Lay counsellors provide up to 70% of counselling and testing services at health facilities. The data review revealed lower error rates for lay counsellors, compared to health care workers, in completing the counselling and testing registers.
Community volunteers, with approved training and ongoing supervision, can play a major role at health facilities to provide counselling and testing services of quality, and relieve the burden on already overstretched health care workers.
赞比亚的人力资源短缺给卫生设施中为数不多的卫生保健工作者带来了沉重的负担。赞比亚预防、护理和治疗伙伴关系开始培训和安置社区志愿者作为初级咨询师，以补充卫生保健工作者提供艾滋病毒咨询和检测服务的努力。这些志愿者接受了标准的国家咨询和检测课程的培训。本研究旨在审查初级咨询师在解决人员短缺问题和提供艾滋病毒咨询和检测服务方面的效果。
通过半结构化访谈，从每个设施的所有活跃初级咨询师以及负责监督咨询和检测服务及客户的设施经理或咨询主管收集定量和定性数据。在选定的 10 个设施中的每个设施中，都检查了 2007 年 5 月的所有咨询和检测记录簿，并由干部对任何记录错误进行了统计。通过在每个设施的卫生保健工作者中进行焦点小组讨论收集了定性数据。
初级咨询师提供高质量的咨询和检测服务，减轻了过度劳累的卫生保健工作者的工作量。设施经理认识到并赞赏初级咨询师提供的服务。初级咨询师在卫生设施中提供高达 70%的咨询和检测服务。数据审查显示，初级咨询师在填写咨询和检测登记册方面的错误率低于卫生保健工作者。
经过批准培训和持续监督的社区志愿者可以在卫生设施中发挥重要作用，提供高质量的咨询和检测服务，并减轻已经过度劳累的卫生保健工作者的负担。
